Let You Know
by Terrasina Dragonwagon
Summary: Terra returns to the Titans...but it isn't as easy as they'd expected it to be. Oneshot, BBT, fluff with a dash of angst.


**Author's Note: **Welcome to my second _Teen Titans _fic. Take note: it is entirely separate from "Story." However, it is a sort of preview of the multi-chapter, Beast Boy/Terra-centric fic that is currently in production in my Mead Five-Star notebook. Keep an eye out for it!

Right, well, ffn took out all my dividers and odd spacing, so...sigh.

**Let You Know**

_Listen to me now_

_I need to let you know_

_You don't have to go it alone_

_"Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own" – U2_

Terra was back. She was _back!_

Beast Boy was ecstatic. It had been so long – almost two whole years now since the day he'd thought he'd lost her forever.

Not that she'd spoken to him since her return three weeks ago. She'd hardly said two words to anyone. She'd hardly said two words to anyone. She had asked what had happened, and then lapsed into silence.

He'd spoken to her, of course. He'd talked to her several times, in fact.

_She'd just returned to them a couple of days ago. After undergoing a brief examination to ensure there was nothing wrong with her – at least physically – she retreated to her room and shut the door._

_Beast Boy gave her a day or two, then went to see her. She let him in right away when he knocked, though she didn't look at him, simply standing to one side to let him come through the door. She sat on the edge of her bed as he perched in an armchair._

_"How're you feeling?" he asked quietly after a long moment. She shrugged, still not meeting his eyes. _

_"Terra…please talk to me." When she still didn't respond, he sighed and stood up. "All right. I'm not going to make you talk if you don't want to. But, Terra – if you ever need me – I'm here. You can find me whenever you want."_

_She nodded, finally meeting his gaze for just an instant before looking away again. He sighed a second time and left._

And now it had been weeks, and he'd barely even seen her, though he had continued to remind her every few days that he would be there if she needed him.

And, though he felt horrible admitting it even to himself, he hoped she _would _be troubled enough to seek him out. He still liked her as much as he had when she'd left them. It was stupid, he knew, but he couldn't help it. He wanted to comfort her, wanted to protect her – especially now; she seemed, all of a sudden, very small and fragile and vulnerable. Of course, this probably had a great deal to do with the fact that she'd been frozen in time for two years, but that was beside the point.

Beast Boy sighed and stared out the window. She'd come to him when she was ready.

He hoped.

Two weeks later Beast Boy was awakened at a very early hour by a knock at his door. He jerked awake, unsure if he'd really heard the sound, if it hadn't perhaps been part of the thunderstorm raging outside…

But then came another knock, and he hauled himself upright, out of bed, and across the room to the door. To his shock, on the other side stood Terra, a quilt wrapped around her shoulders and tears streaming down her face.

"Terra!" he exclaimed, astonished. "What's wrong?" He was startled still further when she burst into a fresh wave of tears and threw her arms around him, sobbing hysterically into his chest.

"Oh, Terra," he said, recovering, and wrapped his arms around her. He stood in the doorway holding her until the tears began to fade. Then he picked her up – _much _too easily, he thought – and carried her into his room, where he tried to put her down on a chair. But she clung to him, silently refusing to let go, and eventually he gave up and sighed heavily. "D'you wanna sit on the bed, then? Would that work?"

Feeling her nod against his chest, he scooped her up again and sat down on the bed, setting her down on the mattress next to him. He held her close for a long, long time until –

"Thank you, Beast Boy," she whispered, her voice hoarse.

He was startled to hear her speak, but didn't comment on it. Instead he said, "Hey, I said I'd be here for you, and I intend to keep that promise."

She didn't respond for a while, but finally she said, "I'm sorry."

He blinked. "_Sorry? _What _for?_"

"For…everything." Her voice was still quiet. "For what I did."

"Terra…" he took a moment to try to formulate a response. "I know it's barely been a few weeks for you, but it's been two years for us. If you're afraid you won't be accepted – don't. We've all long since forgiven you."

"But – that's a big part of it," she said. "All this time has passed…and I've missed it. I'm not sure I know how to deal with that. You're all so much older than me now."

Beast Boy grinned at her. "I'm not! At least, not mentally." He was pleased to see that this elicited a small smile from her.

There was another long silence.

"Are you sure I can stay?"

"Of course. You're one of us again, Terra."

She looked hopefully up at him. "Really?"

He nodded. "Really."

"Oh—" fresh tears sprang up in her eyes and she clutched at him again. He held her until the tears subsided.

"I'm sorry," she said again.

"Terra, you have nothing to be sorry _for._"

"No, it's just…" she shook her head. "I came here because I…I wanted to see you…I had a nightmare, and I – I just—"

"Oh, Terra." He hugged her tightly. "I still don't see what you're apologizing for."

"…I got you all wet," she said after a moment.

He burst into laughter. She stared at him. When his hysteria didn't die after almost a minute, she began to giggle as well. Soon they were _both _howling.

"Thank you," she said when they finally stopped sniggering. "Thank you. I needed that."

He grinned at her. "That's what I'm here for.

"Your nightmare," he said a moment later, growing serious. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

"It was cold," she said after a long pause. "Cold, and dark, and I couldn't move or breathe or see. And it was so cold, Beast Boy, it was so _cold…_" she began to shake; tears grew again in her voice.

He didn't have to ask her to explain further; he knew what the dream had been about. She sniffled and huddled closer to him.

"Sorry," he said. "I ruined the mood again, didn't I?" She didn't respond, just hid her face against his chest. He sighed and hugged her tightly. "Oh, Terra," he said to himself, too softly for her to hear. "You haven't had an easy time of it, have you?

"It's late," he said after awhile. "Or very very early. You should go back to bed."

She nodded, but made no move to get up. "Can I…can I stay here? With you?" she asked after a minute.

Beast Boy was startled, but "Of course," he replied, and helped her get tucked in before sliding under the covers next to her. She curled up in a ball and snuggled up against him; he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her as close as he could.

She fell asleep almost immediately. He lay awake for a long time, unable to stop thinking about how incredibly lucky he felt.

The next morning she ventured out to rejoin the Titans for the first time since her return. Much to her amazement, they welcomed her back gladly – even Raven.

The days turned to weeks, and the weeks to months, and Terra slowly readjusted to her new life. She also started to re-teach herself – with ample help from the other Titans – how to properly control her powers, practising for several hours a day.

She and Beast Boy talked frequently, though she still didn't speak much to the other Titans.

"What'd you do when you locked yourself up in your room right after you got back?" he asked her once a couple of weeks after the night when she'd come crying to his room. They were sitting on the rocky shore of the Titans' island, where Terra had once tried to teach him to skip rocks. Now, as she spoke, she tossed pebbles into the water.

"Just…thought. A lot. And paced. Slept occasionally." She paused. "Not much, though. When I did, I had the nightmare."

"Oh." Beast Boy was silent for a long moment. "What'd you think about?"

Terra sighed. "Well, I'm still working on the fact that I was basically dead for two years."

He made a face. "Yeah, I guess I can see how that'd be kinda hard to deal with."

She nodded. "And…I don't know. I still find it hard to believe that you guys really want me back. Especially Robin and Raven. I mean, I've seen that you really want to help me, and everyone's trying to include me and whatever," she added quickly, holding up her hands as though to ward off an argument, "but…still."

"I swear it's true," he said. "You know I wouldn't lie to you. And as far as Raven and Robin go…well, Raven's just plain weird. You've just gotta give her time."

She grinned at him. "Like she's _still _giving _you _time?"

"Shut up. But seriously, don't worry about Raven – she'll be a real bitch about it if she wants to be, but once she gets over it, it'll be okay."

"What about Robin, though?" she asked after a moment, tossing a small stone back and forth between her hands.

"Robin…" he said slowly. "Robin doesn't often show it, but I think he's a great believer in people, and their ability to do the right thing. Which may seem kind of weird, since he spends his time fighting 'bad guys,' but…" he shrugged. "Maybe he picked it up from Batman. I dunno. But, as far as Robin goes – I think all you have to do is really show him you've changed, and he'll help you in any way he can. And you're already doing that. I don't think you have anything to worry about. Really."

"But how long will that take? How long will it be before they forgive me?" Terra asked quietly.

"I keep telling you, Terra," he said. "Really, they already have." He gave her a gentle smile. "You've been back for – what, a month and a half now? Almost two months? And you still avoid everyone but me unless you're training. I know you want to feel accepted again, but first you've gotta give 'em the chance to do that."

She sighed heavily. "I know. It's just…" she put her rock down and hugged her knees to her chest. "I'm afraid," she finally admitted. "You're the only one who always believed in me – how do I know everyone else won't stop believing again?"

There was a long silence. "But I _didn't _always believe in you," he said. "I thought you were a traitor, too. I wanted to hate you."

"Did you?"

"…No. I couldn't."

"You were there for me in the end, Beast Boy. That's what matters." She reached over and laced her fingers through his, studiously ignoring the blush rising on her cheeks. "You understood what I needed. You gave me the power to make my own choice. Slade – Slade wanted me to – to kill you," she said, beginning to stumble over her words. "A—and the Titans wanted me to just – just get up and w—walk away." She paused for a moment, as though gathering her thoughts. "But you…you gave _me _the power to decide what _I _needed to do. You didn't try to _make _me do anything. That's the only reason I was able to break away from him." Finally she looked up at him, taking in his stunned face. "I never did thank you for that," she said quietly.

He stared at her for a moment, then reached out and hugged her tightly. "Thanks," she whispered into his shoulder, though it sounded a bit silly and inadequate after her little speech.

_God_, he thought. _She's really had it hard. It's so unfair. _

"I don't know why I did it," she whispered after a moment. "No…that's not true. I was scared."

Beast Boy held very still. He could have guessed on his own most of the rest of what she'd told him, but he'd never heard any of this before and he didn't want to interrupt her.

"I was _scared,_" she repeated. "I didn't _want _to betray you, I really didn't, but I was terrified of what Slade would do to me if I refused him. And…he offered me something no one else had. He told me he could teach me control. He could _give _me control, give me power over myself. I know you guys were helping me train," she added hurriedly, "but I was scared…that…I don't know. That it wasn't working, wasn't enough…I…I don't…" she faltered.

"Shh," he soothed, pulling her closer. "Shh. It's okay, I understand."

"Do you?" she asked, tears thick in her voice.

"I understand what it's like to be afraid of what's going to happen to you, or of yourself." He hesitated before he spoke again. He'd never told anyone what he was about to tell Terra – Robin probably knew, but that was just because Robin was obsessive about doing his research well. _But Terra's more important than that, _he thought, then plunged ahead. "I wasn't born a shapeshifter," he said. "I was just a normal kid until I was five – and then I got really sick, and the only treatment my parents could find…well, you see what happened. They were scientists. And then—" he stopped. "Then they were killed in an accident a few years later. I was basically on my own for years – I got moved around a lot. No one wanted a green kid who turned into things. It took me a long time to get used to the fact that I wasn't a normal kid anymore. I taught myself most of what I know about my powers – this wasn't supposed to happen, obviously, so no one knew what I could and couldn't do. I know it's not exactly the same as what's happened to you, but – still. I—" and he fell silent.

"Oh, Beast Boy…" Terra said, suddenly feeling intensely ashamed. She wasn't the only one who'd ever suffered.

"But we were talking about you," he said suddenly. "The point is, Terra, I can at least come close to understanding. So, _please _– don't lock yourself up because you're afraid you won't be accepted. I _will _be here when you need me, I swear it."

"Okay," Terra said after a long time. "Okay."

Things improved more quickly after that, though she continued to come to his room for late-night talks. Often she would curl up and fall asleep on his bed. When she did this, he'd sigh, tuck her in – and find a quilt and spend the night in his armchair.

After one such occurrence she'd told him that he was perfectly welcome to sleep in the bed when she did this; after all, it was _his _bed, and the chair couldn't be very comfortable. He'd muttered some stupid excuse, and she'd shrugged and dropped the subject.

But the truth was, he was afraid of what might happen. Because he'd fallen hard for her when she first joined them over two years ago – and he'd never gotten up. He'd never tell _her _that, though. She had too much to deal with as it was without adding a romantic relationship into the equation.

So he would wait. He'd wait until she _was _ready. Because he'd wait for her forever, he knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt. He supposed, abstractedly, that this meant he was in love with her. He refused to think about it, however. He was only seventeen, after all. There would be plenty of time for him to fall in love when he got older.

He could just never imagine it happening with anyone who wasn't Terra.

But for her sake he shoved all such thoughts to the back of his mind and focused instead on helping her get through her return to him. To _them_, rather. She was more important than any of his desires.

It helped, though, that they were as close as they were. Of course, for Beast Boy, it was a kind of torture as well, but it did help. They knew each other better than anyone else; when they were alone, they even called each other by their real names – she was Tara, and he was Gar (she'd found it deeply amusing that his name was "Garfield." He didn't think it was particularly funny).

Perhaps some greater power decided they were too happy as they were; perhaps Terra was just more observant than he'd given her credit for. But one night, she came and found him where he was sitting in 'their' spot, on the island.

"Hey," she said quietly, sitting down beside him.

"Hey, Tara," he replied, smiling at her.

There was a moment of silence. "We need to talk," she said.

He grimaced. _Nothing _good was ever said after those words. "What about?" he asked.

She sighed, and was quiet for a long time. Finally, she said, "This may sound a bit presumptuous, but…" she hesitated. "Gar, how do you feel about me?"

_Shit. _"…What do you mean?" He didn't look at her.

"Gar…"

He sighed heavily. "If you're asking, then you already know," he said dully.

"Yes," she admitted. "I think so. But…I want to hear you say it. I want to _know._"

There was a long pause. "I like you, Tara," he said finally. "I really like you."

"Why didn't you tell me?" she said softly.

"Because I thought you already had enough to deal with without knowing that too," he said.

Terra instantly felt horrible. "Oh, Gar…" she said, unconsciously scooting closer to him. "Hey. Look at me." He did so, grudgingly. "Did it never occur to you," she said softly, "that I might feel the same way?" His face lit up, and she hated to say it, but – "I like you too, Gar. A lot. But you're right – I'm not ready for a relationship like that yet." The light went out of his eyes, and Terra hated herself. "But…when I am ready…"

"I'll be here," he said instantly. "I'll wait as long you need me to."

Her heart broke for him. She hated to hurt him, she could _tell _he was hurting, but she just wasn't ready to commit herself. And Gar was worth waiting until she _was _ready.

"You are an incredible person, did you know that?" she said.

He ducked his head, flushing. "Naah."

She pushed at his shoulder with her own. "Yes you are." He grinned and pushed back, and before long they were both laughing as they shoved at each other. Finally Terra ended the 'fight' by hugging him tightly instead of pushing him. "Thank you," she whispered. "You're the best friend I could have."

He smiled wistfully down at the top of her pale-blonde head and hugged her back. "I try."

_So I'm just her best friend. _He looked down at the girl in his arms. _I can live with that. _Then he grinned be-fangedly at no one in particular. _For now._

FIN

**Author's Note, part the second: **I realize I never explained _how _Terra came back. This was intentional; the story is not about the science, magic, whatever, behind her return. It's about the aftermath of it. I also realize I've mangled Beast Boy's history rather badly – I did do my research, even if I only did it so I could mangle properly! Really, it had to be simplified a lot. Garfield Logan had all sorts of stuff happen before he ever met up with the Titans, and as none of that has anything to do with the story, I had to sort of cut it down to the essentials. I apologize profusely.

Thanks to those who reviewed "Story": Lucas, Zero D. Allen, pokefreaks13, RR3, TTReviewer, El man person, Jadefire, SnowhiteandtheSevenDragons, bbsidekick, Fred the Mutant Pickle, Kelly Riley, and Poopy Penguin.


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